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Indianapolis – Shepherd Community Center today announced a new partnership with mental health provider Cartwheel to bring students and families rapid access to mental health care via telehealth with Indiana-licensed clinicians.
"Our community center has an essential role to play in improving youth mental health and outcomes,” said Andrew Green, Shepherd’s assistant executive director. “This enables us to provide students and families in our community access to mental health services without the typical barriers that exist around cost, transportation, and navigating the complex healthcare system.”
The partnership comes as youth mental health reaches a breaking point in Indiana and across the country. The 2024 Mental Health America report found that 66.4% of Indiana youth who experienced major depression did not receive necessary treatment. According to the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, nearly one in four Indiana high school students reported having made a plan to commit suicide.
The partnership with Cartwheel provides students with access to individual therapy, psychiatric evaluations, medication management, parental guidance and family therapy. Services are offered via telehealth, allowing for after-school and evening availability. Access to care is available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and other languages.
Services are free for students insured by Medicaid and those who are uninsured. An in-network benefit is available for students with private insurance.
The program addresses a range of common mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, trauma, stress, and more.
“We have seen a rise of violence in our community, and we believe that providing mental health support to these kids can help to address these issues holistically,” Shepherd Executive Director Jay Height said. “These new mental health services support our core values of breaking the cycle of generational poverty.”
Cartwheel CEO Joe English said his team is excited about the opportunity to serve more students and families in Indiana. “This new partnership will allow us to match students to clinicians who specialize in each individual’s mental health needs and provide services in their native language,” shared English.
Shepherd exists to break the cycle of poverty on the near Eastside of Indianapolis by engaging and empowering the community to cultivate healthy children, strong families and vibrant neighborhoods through a Christ-centered approach that meets the physical, emotional, spiritual and academic needs of our neighbors.
Cartwheel is the trusted mental health partner to schools, delivering rapid access to care for students and helping schools build stronger mental health programs that catch kids before they fall. Our evidence-based mental health program is designed around the entire school community. Our licensed therapists and child psychiatrists are diverse, culturally sensitive and committed to affordable care for everyone – including uninsured families and those covered by Medicaid. For more information, visit www.cartwheel.org.